What to do THIS MONTH

Get your home organised and looking its tip-top best with these easy cleaning and DIY hacks

- HOLLY WALSH

Summer is finally here and with the start of June bringing us a mega long weekend of Jubilee celebrations, it's a great time to get the garden spruced up ready for guests. Giving your decking and patio a good scrub now will mean it's good to go for the rest of the year. But with all those garden soirées planned, your dishwasher will be going into overdrive, so it's a great time to give it an MOT. And if the Great British weather does turn and the party retreats to the kitchen, ensure your space looks its best with a fab new splashback to dazzle guests.

Tile a splashback

A great way to inject interest to a kitchen by adding colour and pattern, plus it protects the wall behind a sink. First, prep your wall surface, then apply tile adhesive using a notch trowel. Start where the wall meets the worktop, and only apply what you need for the first line of tiles. Apply each one with firm pressure and use tile spacers to ensure perfect unity. Repeat to cover the rest of the space, leave to dry, then apply a grout of your choice.

CLEAN YOUR OUTDOOR SPACE

1 Clear out any debris using strip away any loose or dead branches and trim back overgrown plants or trees. Then take a rake or sweep up all those dead leaves and general detritus from your lawn, patio or decking.

2 For decking, apply a mild, all-purpose cleaner or decking-specific solution to the surface.